Season Narrative
Central Dauphin was an immediate player on the state scene upon the merger of Lower Paxton and Swatara High Schools in 1955. The 1958 squad featured future Penn State standout and two-way star Don Caum at QB and claimed a piece of a mythical state title with a top finish in the Saylor Ratings, as well as the #2 slot in the AP poll. The Rams would be back at it again with an undefeated 1961 campaign that claimed a piece of a second mythical title in its first seven years of existence. But a long fallow period followed, with Central Dauphin finishing 52 games under .500 and posting only eight years with a winning record between 1963 and 1996. Enter George Chaump.
Chaump was a central Pennsylvania legend. In his first stint in the Mid-Penn, Chaump went 58-4 at John Harris High (now Harrisburg) and claimed three straight mythical state titles in 1965, 1966, and 1967 thanks to his cutting edge passing attack. He jumped from John Harris to Ohio State, where he was the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the 1968 national champions and spent a decade as Woody Hayes’s top offensive assistant and led the Buckeyes to six top five finishes in ten years. He followed up Ohio State with stints as a head coach in the USFL and in the NCAA. But after an unsuccessful stint at the Naval Academy, Chaump retired from the college game and came back home, accepting the head coaching job at Central Dauphin.
In his first season, Chaump transformed the Rams attack and won their first conference championship of any kind since 1972 and pushed eventual state champ CB West to double overtime in the state quarterfinals. Chaump stayed at Central Dauphin until 2002, going 56-15, winning District 3 titles in 1997 and 2002, and making the playoffs in five of his six seasons. This ignited the Rams program. Even after Chaump jumped ship back to Harrisburg High, the train kept rolling, with CD posting a ten win season under Paul Plott 2004 and then promoted offensive coordinator, Glenn McNamee to the head job in 2006.
McNamee, an All American quarterback at Bloomsburg, bottled the success of the Chaump era and made Central Dauphin a staple in the District 3 scene. He made the playoffs in each of his first five seasons, and the 2010 Rams advanced to the D3 semifinals, the deepest playoff run since Chaump’s ‘02 district champions. But the 2010 Rams leaned heavily on a deep senior class, and they would need to replace ten starters on defense and fifteen overall. Still, there were pieces. Zayd Issah was one of the best sophomores in Pennsylvania in 2010, rushing for 1,650 yards and 22 touchdowns as a tenth grader, and had added 20 pounds to his 6’4 frame. Junior Brandon LaVia was also coming off of a promising season at quarterback and Drew Scales and Adam Hollinger returned as complimentary running threats to Issah. Zach Wilk was back at left tackle and was being courted by a number of FCS programs, and 6’6 250 pound two-way lineman Evan Schwan was back after missing almost all of 2010 with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Defensively, McNamee knew he did not have a ton of depth, so was intent on relying heavily on his best players going two-ways, particularly Issah, Hollinger, Scales, and Schwan.
The statewide focus was on the WPIAL in the preseason. Pittsburgh Central Catholic was the preseason #1, as it returned most of its starters, including All State running back Damion Jones-Moore and wideout Anthony Nixon, from the 2010 team that was the top seed in the WPIAL tournament and narrowly lost to eventual state champ North Allegheny. They also had a big-time early season match up with 3A #1 Archbishop Wood of Philadelphia. Speaking of the Tigers, North Allegheny were slotted #3 in the preseason, and were buoyed by the transfer of quarterback Mack Leftwich, who arrived from Texas after Pitt hired his father as their offensive line coach. They both would be challenged by #4 Upper St. Clair and four star dual-threat quarterback Dakota Conwell.
In the eastern part of the state, #2 North Penn was the preseason favorite after back-to-back trips to the state semifinals. Both losses came to LaSalle, who was preseason #6 despite heavy graduation losses, but couldn’t be counted out after back-to-back state finals. #5 Neshaminy and #8 Council Rock South were North Penn’s main challengers in the Suburban One and District One. After an uncharacteristic pair of down years, #7 Liberty was expected to be back and the favorite in D11. In District 3, the preseason favorite was Cumberland Valley, who brought back their entire offensive line and offensive athlete Jeremy DiPietro from the returning D3 champs and state semifinalists. #9 Erie McDowell rounded out the preseason rankings as the favorite in the 6/8/10 subregional.
Things were hairy for the Rams in their opener. The season got off to an inauspicious start when LaVia was suspended for the first two games of the season for a violation of team rules. However, it was the Central Dauphin pass defense that was vulnerable early against Manheim Township, with Brennan Scott carving up the Rams for 265 yards on 20-24 passing in the season opener. Scott threw a 40 yard touchdown on the Blue Streaks first drive, then opened the second half with a 70 yard bomb that put the Blue Streaks up 14-7. But on the ensuing drive, Zayd Issah ripped a 41 yard touchdown run to re-tie the game. After the teams traded punts, Issah exploded for a 79 yard touchdown to give the Rams a 21-14 lead with 5:05 left. However, Scott calmly led Manheim Township on an 8 play, 79 yard drive to answer by completing five straight passes, and Scott Sallade ran for a 5 yard TD with 1:05 left to send the game into overtime. In OT, Issah picked up nine yards on first down and backup quarterback Bobby Schaffer snuck in for a TD to give the Rams the lead. In Manheim Township’s possession, Evan Schwan chased down Scott for a 6 yard loss on first down, and the Blue Streaks couldn’t recover after starting behind the chains. On the day, Issah finished with 18 carries for 178 yards and the pair of touchdown runs, and led the Rams with eight tackles on defense.
Week two did not get any easier with Central Dauphin hosting returning 3A state finalists Bishop McDevitt, who again were one of the best teams in the state, regardless of classification. They were coming off of a week 1 loss to Gateway in the Pittsburgh Kick-Off Classic and were itching to get on the right track against the rival Rams. They would have to wait an extra two days when intense rain and flooding during the week forced the game to be rescheduled to Sunday afternoon.
The Central Dauphin defense came to play early, as McDevitt moved the ball easily on its first three possessions, including making two trips inside the five yard line, but Central Dauphin strip sacked Alec Werner three times, part of an eight sack effort by the Rams defense. After Werner’s first fumble, Bobby Schaffer hit Zayd Issah on a wheel route for an 84 yard touchdown. After the second fumble, Central Dauphin engineered a 90 yard drive, capped by a field goal to take a 10-0 lead. But McDevitt held onto the ball in the red zone for the first time all day near the end of the first half, and hit a 28 yard field goal to go into the break trailing 10-3. Werner completed his first seven passes of the second half, hitting Nick Barowski for a 25 yard touchdown to tie the game at 10, then engineering a field goal drive in the early fourth quarter to go up 13-10. And while the Rams answered with a field goal to tie the game at 13, the Crusaders responded with a touchdown drive, capped by a Rashad Lawson seven yard touchdown run that served as the game winner. Despite eight sacks, the Rams gave up 322 passing yards to Werner, including an eight catch, 160 yard effort by all state wideout Brian Lemelle, whose 30 yard grab set up Lawson’s game winner. Issah finished with 96 yards on 19 carries, 121 yards receiving on a pair of catches, and made 11 tackles and had a sack on defense in the losing effot, and was quickly announcing his presence as one of the best players in the state.
The next three weeks saw Central Dauphin get back on the winning track by overwhelming a trio of under .500 opponents. Drew Scales got things going with a punt return touchdown and Schwan and Issah combined for five sacks in a 42-6 win over Delaware Valley Charter. The following week, LaVia got on track in his second start, going 10-12 for 184 yards and three total touchdowns in a 42-7 win over Mechanicsburg and Schwan tacked on three more sacks. And Scales opened the game against rival CD East with a 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Schwan continued his ferocious return to the field with another three sacks, giving him nine in the first four games, as the Rams ran away from them in a 49-7 win.
That set up a week five showdown with Cumberland Valley. The Eagles were back-to-back District 3 champs, off to a 5-0 start, and coming off of a shutout of Bishop McDevitt, holding Werner to 106 yards passing in a 3-0 win. So it was important that Central Dauphin flexed their muscles early, getting a three and out, then kicking a field goal for a 3-0 lead. After the teams traded punts, it looked as though Jeremy DiPietro had Cumberland Valley in business with a 61 yard punt return, but a block in the back nullified the play. Evan Schwan blocked the ensuing Cumberland Valley punt, which was scooped up by Nate Hamilton, who rumbled for a four yard TD. After forcing another three and out, LaVia led the Rams on a 60 yard touchdown drive, capped by his one yard sneak just before halftime to give the Rams a 17-0 lead. The Rams played keep away for most of the second half, and although Cumberland Valley scored on their final drive, they barely threatened and CD came away with a huge 17-7 win. The Rams finished with 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, led by Zach Wilk with a sack and a half and three stops behind the line of scrimmage, and Issah led the offensive with 94 rushing yards.
The following week, Central Dauphin throttled former head coach George Chaump in a 35-7 win over Harrisburg where LaVia threw for 173 and a pair of scores, and they held Harrisburg to nine yards of offense. The following week, Issah torched Carlisle with 173 yards receiving, 146 yards rushing, scored three touchdowns, and made ten tackles and had a sack. Week nine was a battle with State College, as the Rams trailed 17-14 at halftime, but then the stars took over in the third quarter. Zayd Issah picked off a Little Lions pass at the 36, then Drew Scales took an end-around 35 yards down to the 1, and Adam Hollinger bulled in to give CD a 21-17 lead. Issah caught a 15 yard TD to ice the game in the final minutes, and finished with 90 yards rushing and 41 yards receiving, plus had another ten tackles and a sack. The final week of the regular season was an blowout over Chambersburg, where Issah scored five touchdowns, ran for 105, had 103 yards receiving, made 11 tackles, and had a sack in a 42-14 win.
The 9-1 regular season had Central Dauphin ranked as the #10 team in Pennsylvania headed into Districts. Pittsburgh Central Catholic was a wire-to-wire #1 during the regular season, highlighted by a season opening win over 3A #1 Archbishop Wood. #2 North Allegheny extended their winning streak to 17 games with a 10-0 regular season and set up a highly anticipated potential WPIAL finals with the Vikings. #3 LaSalle continued their dominance of eastern Pennsylvania with a 9-1 regular season, with their lone loss coming to national power Bergen Catholic (NJ) and owned a 44-27 demolishing of #5 North Penn. #4 Upper St. Clair was also 9-1, with just a 28-21 setback to North Allegheny and quarterback Dakota Conwell was in the midst of a 1,000/1,000 season. #6 Penn-Trafford, undefeated on the year included a win over #7 Gateway, the top two-loss team, and both were state contenders coming out of the WPIAL. #8 Council Rock South finished 9-1 behind future All Big Ten performer PJ Gallo. And #9 Nazareth was the highest scoring team in the state behind 3,000 yard passer Dan Harding and was the top seed in D11.
On power points, Central Dauphin was seeded third in the D3 tournament, behind top seeded Cumberland Valley and second seed Governor Miffflin. They opened the postseason with a rematch against CD East, the 14 seed who limped in at 5-5. The Rams made quick work of their rivals, opening the game with a 13 play, 77 yard TD drive and not looking back in a 30-0 shutout win. Drew Scales had a career day with 143 yards rushing, while Issah had 93 yards rushing, three touchdowns, and three sacks.
The win set up a quarterfinal date with the Cedar Cliff Colts, featuring future NFL tight end Adam Breneman. The Rams pass defense was sketchy early, as Colts quarterback Tyler Orris led them down the field late in the first quarter and scampered in for an eight yard touchdown. The Rams responded on the ensuing drive with a Scales touchdown to tie the game at seven. On the following drive, Adam Hollinger hit Orris on a scramble, and the senior quarterback was forced out of the game with a concussion, bringing sophomore Andrew Ford off of the bench. After trading punts in the second quarter, Zayd Issah fumbled at his own 14, and on the next play, Ford flashed the dual threat skills that made him the AP Player of the Year in 2013 by scrambling for a 14 yard touchdown to take a 13-7 halftime lead.
The second half turned into the Zayd Issah show. After the fumble, Issah had just 33 yards and the Rams offense was struggling. But after a Cedar Cliff punt to open the second half, the Rams handed it to Issah on seven straight plays, capped by a two yard touchdown to give the Rams a 14-13 lead. After another punt, Issah was at it again, with five carries for 65 yards and a touchdown just before the end of the quarter. The fourth quarter turned into a dual between Ford and Issah. Ford opened the quarter with a touchdown pass to Joel Chapman, which Issah answered with a 40 yard touchdown run. Ford held serve with a 25 yard touchdown pass to bring it back within one score, but Issah provided the back breaker on the next play with a 72 yard touchdown run. Ford scrambled in from two yards out with a little over a minute left to cut the lead to three, but Central Dauphin recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. Issah finished with 203 yards and four touchdowns, 170 of those yards and all of the scores came in the second half. He also added nine tackles. Drew Scales pitched in 71 yards and a touchdown, and Nate Hamilton had a monster night on defense with 11 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, a sack and a half, and blocked a field goal. Ford came off the bench to go 20-30 for 240 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, in Shillington, second seeded Governor Mifflin was upset 27-21 by Central York, meaning the Rams would get a home game in the D3 semifinals.
Central York was looking to give York County a D3 finalist in back-to-back years for the first time ever. They featured quarterback Brandon Baker, who was amongst the state leaders with 30 touchdown passes and his favorite target, track star Jalil Ford, who was approaching Graham Zug’s D3 record of 20 TD catches on the season. Central York struck on their first drive when Baker took advantage of a shaky Ram pass defense to march the Panthers right down the field and finish with a four yard touchdown pass. However, the Rams answered with a long drive of their own and a Brandon LaVia sneak from one yard out to go down 7-6. But Baker would get the lead back almost immediately by hitting Ford for a 59 yard TD pass on a slant. After a Central Dauphin punt to start the second half, Baker and Ford hooked up again, this time for 31 yards out on a go-route, the Panthers were in business, up 21-6. Things looked even more precarious when Zayd Issah fumbled near at the Central York 30 on the next drive and the Panthers had a chance to go up three scores.
The resulting drive went nowhere and Panthers lined up to punt. Defensive end Nate Hamilton lined up on the edge, and came in completely untouched and had the punt drill him directly in the chest. It rolled all the way inside the Central York five before Daylin Russo fell on the loose ball. One play later, Issah atoned for his fumble with a touchdown run to cut the lead to 21-13. After another Panther three-and-out, Issah ripped off a touchdown run and a two-point conversion tied things with six seconds left in the third quarter.
After trading punts, Central Dauphin took over with a chance to win the game in the final eight minutes of regulation. The Central York defense initially held, but a roughing the punter gave the Rams the ball back at the Panther 38. Brandon Lavia hit Bobby Schaffer for 13 yards on the next play, then Drew Scales took an end around 18 yards to put the Rams inside the ten, then finished the job with a seven yard touchdown run to give the Rams their first lead with 2:02 to play. Central York’s hurry up had the Ram faithful sweating, as a long completion to Ford put them in the red zone, but Marquis Fells was stuffed on a fourth down run at the CD 18 with thirty seconds remaining to end the game. Issah and Scales combined for 171 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and Issah added a fourth quarter sack. Hamilon, in addition to the blocked punt, also had a sack and two tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The win put Central Dauphin in the District 3 final for the first time since 2002.
Elsewhere, the state quarterfinal round was set that weekend. In the eastern half, Nazareth came back from down 14-0 to beat Easton 28-21 and deny the Red Rovers a third straight state playoff appearance. Dan Harding, who shared the AP Player of the Year award after the season, threw for 287 and three touchdowns, including a fourth quarter strike to win it. Their opponent would be LaSalle, who dominated George Washington 41-7 to win their third straight District 12 title. In District 1, top seeded Council Rock South pounded out 321 rushing yards and did not punt in a 38-24 win over Garnet Valley. North Penn ended the Cinderella story of 15th seeded Pennsbury with a 27-3 win as Dan Geverlitz scored three touchdowns and Kyle Mayfield ran for 110 yards in his return from injury.
In the western half, defending state champ North Allegheny was the last man standing in the WPIAL gauntlet. Pittsburgh Central Catholic, who had been the state’s top ranked team since the preseason, dropped their semifinal with #4 Upper St. Clair. The Tigers and Panthers WPIAL final was a rematch from a 28-21 North Allegheny regular season win. This time, Upper St. Clair, playing without injured All State quarterback Dakota Conwell, scored with four minutes left to force overtime, but a Mack Leftwich touchdown run and a pair of sacks helped the defending champs escape. Leftwich ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 148 yards in the win. North Allegheny would get another regular season rematch, this time with State College, who survived the D6/8/10 subregional final with newly formed University Prep, the District 8 champ. University Prep scored with 33 seconds left to take a three point lead, but State College drove 60 yards in three plays and tied the game with a field goal, then capitalized on a missed extra point in overtime to hang on, 33-32.
Central Dauphin’s date in the District 3 finals was the Wilson West Lawn Bulldogs. Doug Dahms’s group avenged two straight D3 playoff losses to Cumberland Valley by knocking the top seed out in the semifinals. Quarterback Seth Kline threw for 200 yards and ran for the game winning touchdown on fourth and goal after initially fumbling the snap early in the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs stopped a Cumberland Valley drive at the 5 yard line to preserve the win. Wilson opened the season with a loss to Governor Mifflin, but had won twelve straight. Tailback Rodney Gillin had rushed for over 1,700 yards and they had a 1,000 yard receiver in Jacob Morgan. Their defense also featured future NFL defensive tackle Junior Joseph.
Central Dauphin came out of the gates firing. They opened the game with a ten play drive that ended with a 40 yard Evan Brandes field goal that doinked off of the crossbar and in. Wilson nearly answered, after LaVia fumbled an exchange at the 20, but the defense held, then reserve lineman Arthur Lewis blocked a 33 yards field goal to preserve the early lead. Early in the second quarter, Issah forced a fumble, then caught a wheel route for a 53 yard touchdown.
Wilson finally got things together by responding with an 80 yard touchdown drive, with Klein hitting Morgan for a 53 yard gain then Matt Rothrock for a nine yard touchdown. On their first drive after the half, Wilson went on the attack again, marching 77 yards, and converted on a fourth and 10 from the 28 before Rothrock caught his second touchdown of the day to give the Bulldogs at 14-10 lead.
Central Dauphin grabbed the lead with three minutes left in the quarter when Issah escaped on a flea flicker and caught a 38 yard strike from Lavia. After a Wilson West Lawn fumble, Central Dauphin went on the attack again, and ate six minutes off of the clock with an eleven play touchdown drive, capped by a one yard LaVia sneak. Wilson pulled things back within a field goal, but needed twelve plays to do so before the Rodney Gillin touchdown. After kicking off to the Rams rather than attempting an onside kick, Central Dauphin ran out the final three minutes to preserve a 24-21 win and their first D3 title in nine years.
LaVia had a career day, throwing for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns, plus ran for the decisive score. Both Issah and Scales were limited to under 40 yards on the ground, but Issah caught four passes for 111 yards and the two touchdowns, while Scales added 83 yards on three catches. Issah also starred on defense, with nine tackles, three behind the line of scrimmage, a pair of sacks, and a forced fumble. The Rams defense was spectacular, holding the Bulldogs to 37 rushing yards on 26 carries.
The eastern final would pit North Penn against LaSalle for the third second straight year. LaSalle survived a shootout with Nazareth, keyed by a 56 yard touchdown on 4th and 1 by Tim Wade with 4:28 left in the game to put the Crusaders up 41-33. A Jimmy Herron interception inside the 20 ended Nazareth’s final drive and put the Crusaders in their third straight eastern final. In District 1, North Penn throttled Council Rock South, racing out to a 34-7 lead and holding the Golden Hawks under 150 yards of offense and Ralphie Reeves rushed for four touchdowns in the 34-14 win.
In the western final, Central Dauphin faced the defending state champion North Allegheny Tigers. North Allegheny thrashed State College in the state quarterfinal, 40-14, putting up 509 yards of total offense. All State quarterback Mack Leftwich threw for 136 yards, ran for 186 yards and accounted for six total touchdowns (5 rushing, 1 passing) in the win. The Tigers came into the western final on a 21 game winning streak and Leftwich had added a new dimension to the offense. The junior had over 2,000 yards passing and 800 yards rushing (one of five Tigers with over 500 yards on the ground). No 4A District 3 team had beaten a WPIAL team in the postseason since Cumberland Valley’s 1992 win over Upper St. Clair and no D3 team had punched a ticket to state finals since Lower Dauphin in 1995. Meanwhile, North Allegheny was looking for their second straight final and to be the tenth WPIAL finalist in the last 11 years in the state’s biggest classification.
Central Dauphin got off to a fast start when late in the first quarter, a snap rolled to North Allegheny punter James Henderson and he was tackled at his own 18. The Rams took advantage of the short field with a three yard Zayd Issah touchdown run to go up 7-0. North Allegheny responded with a ten play touchdown drive and Leftwich scored from two yards out to tie the game on the first play of the second quarter. After a defensive struggle for the remainder of the second quarter, with the Tigers particularly bottling up the inside run game of Zayd Issah, Central Dauphin got Drew Scales to the perimeter on an end around, and he turned the corner and hit the jets for a 53 yard touchdown run with 1:06 left in the first half. Issah forced a Leftwich fumble at his own 28 on the first drive of the second half and Adam Hollinger took a fullback dive on the next play for a 28 yard touchdown and a 20-7 lead. But North Allegheny answered with an 11 play touchdown drive, with Leftwich scoring his second touchdown of the day to cut the lead to 20-13.
Again, the defenses took over until a special teams disaster hit, this time for the Rams. Punter Casey Hartzell shanked a punt 15 yards and three plays later, Leftwich hit James Kleinhampl for a 5 yard touchdown to tie the game with 5:14 to go. After an exchange of punts, Central Dauphin caught a huge break when the Tigers hit Drew Scales out of bounds on a punt return for a 15 yard penalty, part of 101 yards in flags against North Allegheny, to set the Rams up at the North Allegheny 46 with 1:39 on the clock. After gaining one yard on the first two plays, LaVia hit Scales short of the sticks, but the gritty slot receiver carried a Tiger defender for a first down at the 35. On the next play, Scales came around on a jet sweep and made two Tigers miss in the backfield before getting the corner and gaining ten yards on the play. With the clock running, LaVia dropped back to pass and hung in the pocket long enough for Issah to run a deep hitch route. The junior got crushed just after releasing the ball, but Issah got separation and made his first catch of the day, good for 23 yards down to the two yard line. After a pair of North Allegheny timeouts designed to freeze the kicker, Evan Brandes drilled a 21 yard field goal to complete the upset and send the Rams to the first state final in program history. LaVia threw for 111 yards, while Scales had 106 all purpose yards, including three of the biggest offensive plays of the game. Issah was held to 15 yards on 12 carries, and his only catch was the 23 yarder on the second to last play of the game, but his impact was felt on defense with 10 tackles and a forced fumble. Defensive end Zach Wilk starred on the defensive side of the ball with 13 tackles, a tackle for loss, and a sack. Leftwich was nearly a one man show, rushing for 158 yards and throwing for 75, but it was not quite enough to extend the Tigers winning streak.
At Northeast High, North Penn avenged a 44-27 season opening loss and snapped a four game losing streak to LaSalle with a 21-14 win. Ralphie Reeves scored three touchdowns, including a game winner in the third quarter to break a 14-14 tie. Backup tailback James Felder added 104 yards rushing after starter Kyle Mayfield went down with a shoulder injury. Reeves was unable to pick up a first down on a 4th and 1 at midfield that would have iced the game with two minutes left, but a Steve Gozur interception with 40 seconds left ended the game and put the Knights back in the state finals for the first time since 2003 and the first trip by a District 1 team since Neshaminy in 2004.
North Penn was a balanced offensive attack, with quarterback Corey Ernst throwing for 2,069 yards and 22 touchdowns on the season and was North Penn’s all time leader in passing yards, completion percentage, and touchdowns. They spread the ball around a solid set of running backs, as Kyle Mayfield (1,352), James Felder (755), Dan Geviritz (602, plus 918 yards receiving) and Ralphie Reeves (358) all threats to carry the football behind an offensive line that featured 320 and 275 pound tackles. Reeves was also a standout on defense, a rare four year starter at linebacker who earned state Defensive Player of the Year honors from PA Football News after the season.
It was a throwback to the early years of the state finals, with sub-freezing temperatures and steady snowfall as the 4A title game kicked off at 7 PM. The early going fit the weather, as both teams struggled with traction and could barely muster any offense. Both teams were loading up the box and bringing pressure to stop the run as neither quarterback could throw the football well. The first drive of the second quarter looked like more of the same, with Central Dauphin facing a third and seven and gaining little traction. But Drew Scales snuck out of the backfield, found a seam in the middle of the field, and Brandon Lavia hit him perfectly in stride for a 74 yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead. The Rams nearly added to the lead as their offensive line started to take control and their running backs found some room, but a drive down to the North Penn 23 ended with a fourth down pass breakup by star corner Dan Gevirtz.
North Penn finally got things rolling at the end of the third quarter, setting off on a 9 play, 72 yard touchdown drive. Corey Ernst hit James Felder on a 23 yard pass, then a 30 yard pitch to Dan Gevirtz set up a five yard Felder touchdown run with 10:09 to go in the game to tie the score at seven. But Scales made his second massive play of the day, fielding the kickoff at his own ten, cutting up the right side, and exploding out across midfield for a 47 yard return to the North Penn 43. On the next play, a fullback trap to Adam Hollinger went 36 yards down to the North Penn 7, and Issah scored two plays later to reclaim a 14-7 lead with 8:08 to go.
North Penn only picked up two yards on the ensuing drive and was forced to punt with 7:06 left. Shockingly, that was the last time the Knights saw the ball. After Issah was tripped up short of the first down marker on third down, Glen McNamee made the risky call to go for it on fourth and 1 in their own territory, but was rewarded when LaVia followed center Zack Wilk on a sneak to move the chains and keep possession. The Rams offensive line continued to lean on an exhausted North Penn front, as Hollinger and Scales each picked up first downs to push into North Penn territory and burn clock. It looked like the Knights had one final shot at getting possession back, but on third and five, Scales hit the corner on a pitch and raced 23 yards for a first down into the red zone and allowed the Rams to kneel out the clock. The 14-7 score held as the lowest scoring 4A final since Upper St. Clair’s 12-7 win in 1989, and was just the second title for District 3 in the largest classification as the Rams joined the 1992 Cumberland Valley squad as state champions.
Scales was the hero, finishing with 281 all purpose yards, including 109 rushing yards, 74 receiving yards, and the monster fourth quarter kick return. North Penn head coach Dick Beck called him the best player on the field. The offensive line, which was such a huge question in the preseason, dominated the second half, and helped Scales, Hollinger, and Issah combine for 247 rushing yards and the two touchdowns. The defense also stood tough, holding an excellent North Penn offense to 161 yards and completely shut down Ernst and the Knight passing game, while only Geverlitz had more than 24 yards for a Knight ballcarrier, with 30 of his 52 yards coming on one carry. Issah made eleven tackles and Hollinger had ten, while the Rams dropped Knight ballcarriers for a loss eight times, led by Evan Schwann, who had three tackles for loss and a sack.
After the season, Zayd Issah shared AP Player of the Year honors with Nazareth quarterback Dan Harding after one of the great two-way seasons in the state playoff era. As a running back, he ran for 1,345 yards and scored 21 touchdowns, as a receiver he caught 29 passes out of the backfield for 672 yards and another ten scores. Defensively, he was the best linebacker in the state with 123 tackles, 14 sacks, and forced four fumbles. He was joined on the AP’s first team by center Zack Wilk, who anchored the Rams offensive line, and defensive end Evan Schwan, who made his first healthy varsity season count with a school record 30.5 tackles for loss and 16.5 sacks. Those three also earned first team honors from PA Football News, and were joined by second team selection Adam Hollinger (linebacker) and third team picks Drew Scales (offensive athlete) and Nate Hamilton (defensive end). Issah earned Offensive Player of the Year honors from the Mid-Penn Conference, and the Rams placed seven players on the all league team (Schwan,Issah, Scales, Wilk, LaVia, tight end Jesse Myers, and kicker Casey Hartzell). Glen McNamee also earned his AP Coach of the Year honors by turning all of those preseason questions and new starters into state champions.
Zayd Issah committed to Penn State the following June and was rated a composite four star prospect and top 250 player in the country headed into his senior season. And while he earned All State honors again as a linebacker after leading Central Dauphin to another 10 win season and a D3 semis spot, his football career would blow up off the field. He was arrested in March of his senior season for passing counterfeit money, then again in July for aggravated assault while in State College. The second arrest cost him his scholarship at Penn State. A drug arrest in the fall furthered his spiral. He left Penn State and was given a chance by Temple to play outside linebacker, but was kicked off of the program without ever having played a down of college football.
Evan Schwan’s Penn State career was significantly more productive. He earned a late Penn State offer to finish their class near Signing Day after his massively productive senior season. After a redshirt year and two seasons on special teams, Schwan broke into the starting lineup as a junior and earned All Big Ten honors as a senior. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants.
Drew Scales became the Rams main offensive weapon in 2012, rushing for 1,361 yards and scoring 31 total touchdowns on his way to All State honors. He signed with Slippery Rock, where he was a Division II All American kick returner and set career return yardage records for The Rock. Zach Wilk was a four year starter and two-time All Ivy League selection at Cornell. Jordan Bowman was a two-time regional All American and three-time All PSAC safety for California PA.
Glen McNamee is still the head coach at Central Dauphin. The Phillipsburg native led the Rams back to the state finals in 2019, becoming the only District 3 school with multiple finals trips in the largest classification. He has won eight Mid-Penn Championships at Central Dauphin, has two trips to state finals, and a state title at Central Dauphin. He is the program’s all-time winningest coach, going 136-43 in 14 seasons.
